2:35pm 8/22/2023 Update: Assembly Members Volland and Zaletel published the ordinance to be laid on the table at the August 22 Regular Assembly meeting. View the ordinance.
Today, Anchorage Assembly Members Daniel Volland and Meg Zaletel published a proposal to replace AO 2023-66 and establish the “Housing Opportunities in the Municipality for Everyone (HOME) Initiative." The new ordinance will be laid on the table at the August 22 Regular Assembly Meeting. In the meantime, an overview of the proposal is available to view online.
In May, Members Zaletel and Cross introduced AO 2023-66, an ordinance to consolidate all residential zones into a single residential zone. They discussed their proposal with their colleagues at two worksessions in July. The ordinance is item 13.A on the August 22 Regular Assembly Meeting agenda. Members Cross, Volland and Zaletel intend to postpone the ordinance indefinitely.
“AO 2023-66 was a tool to start a conversation," said Member Zaletel. “We've had tremendous engagement by the community through emails, public comments, letters to the editor and opinion pieces on the topic. AO 2023-66 has served its purpose."
“Anchorage's housing shortage is an everyone problem, and government has a role to play in solving it," said Member Volland. “The HOME Initiative reflects the feedback we've received to simplify residential zoning and create more flexible, inclusionary zones that align with the Anchorage 2040 Land Use Plan."
The new ordinance will propose establishing five residential zones in the Anchorage bowl, as identified in the Anchorage 2040 Land Use Plan (LUP):
- LLR – Large Lot Residential
- STFR – Single Family and Two-Family Residential
- Compact Mixed Residential – Low
- Compact Mixed Residential – Medium
- Urban Residential – High
The proposal excludes Girdwood and Chugiak/Eagle River, communities whose land use is not governed by Title 21.
“Our city needs more housing, and I believe simplifying and deregulating our code is an essential tool to make room for our market to grow," said Assembly Member Kevin Cross, who represents District 2, Chugiak/Eagle River. “The HOME Initiative respects the autonomy and independence of Chugiak-Eagle River so I am respectfully removing myself as a sponsor."
###
Contact:
Daniel Volland | District 1, daniel.volland@anchorageak.gov
Meg Zaletel | District 4, meg.zaletel@anchorageak.gov